I grimace, scrub my jaw and settle my hands on my hips. “And?”
“He told me. He didn’t tell Rocco. Is it really true, man? Is it her?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s her.”
Now he says, “And?”
“And what?”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Do I really want to wish this life on her?”
“Yes,” he says. “Yes, you do.”
“We didn’t choose this life. I’m not going to choose for her.”
“Does she remember you?”
“No. I’m familiar. That’s all.”
“Then she doesn’t know she loves you. You don’t have time for her to fall in love with you.”
“Man, in case you forgot, we don’t have a human expiration date.”
“Which is what Marcus told me you’d say, but she does. How do you know that’s not tomorrow? How do you know that’s not the reason Marcus made this happen?”
“And he didn’t make it happen before now?”
“Because the sentence for defying the higher powers is death and you know it.”
“Then why now?”
“I asked him that.”
“And he said what?” I challenge.
“He left,” he says, “but here is what I want you to consider. What I wanted to ask him.”
“I’m listening,” I say.
“You know how she died the first time. And it was brutal. How did she die the other two times? And how old was she each of those times? Are you going to risk letting her die a bad death and maybe that means soon? Marcus doesn’t break the rules. He didn’t do this now because he wanted you to have a year to try and get her to fall in love with you again.”
“He said she came to me naturally.”
“And maybe, just maybe, each lifetime, right as you’re about to find her, she dies. I’m not saying I know she’s in danger, but I don’t believe for a minute this was organic. She didn’t show up in Denver at your hotel without help. And I’m back to why, man? Why now? And every time I come back to—”
“Because she’s living on borrowed time.”
“Exactly. I know you still love her, so I ask you, what are you going to do about it?”
There’s a shift in the air and Cam and I both turn toward the distinct and familiar energy of Rocco, who rounds the corner and joins us. “We have a problem. Kasey called.”
Kasey works at the Austin, Texas Vampire Council headquarters. She has a team that monitors police scanners across the country, and just hearing her name sets me on edge.
“And?” I prod, feeling a tick of urgency in my jaw at the certainty this is nothing good.
“Police scanners picked up a couple of reports of wild animals loose in the nearby area,” he says.
“What kind of animals?” Cam presses impatiently.
“Large, wild animals,” he says. “The cops think it’s a couple of bears. They’re sending units as we speak, but we all know there are no bears.”
And, I think, we all know that werewolves in the city aren’t any more uncommon than our kind, except for one thing. A normal, healthy wolf would not be seen running around town in wolf form. But a red, a virus-infected rabid wolf, is another story.
Cam’s gaze shoots to mine. “Interesting timing, isn’t it?”
He means, of course, Ivy’s presence right now, when the city is looking as if it’s under attack. “How did she die every time she died?” he asks again. “Marcus does nothing without a purpose.”
He’s right. Marcus made damn sure I knew Ivy was my Ivy for a reason. And this, I’m guessing, is the reason. Those wolves are here for her, even if they don’t know it, because maybe, just maybe, her finding her way into their path is simply a matter of her fate.
“Find the wolves,” I say. “I need to get to Ivy.” I’m already running toward the hotel. I have to get to Ivy and make sure she stays in her room.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ivy
When I was a kid, my father used to tell me that I had to be happy with myself. He would challenge me to go to a movie by myself, or the mall, and just be me. When my parents died, I forgot how to be alone. I got engaged to the wrong man. I was afraid to be alone with my pain. But I righted that wrong. I found myself again. And now, there is Eli.
I pace my room, confused by whatever is going on with him. How does he feel so familiar? And did he say he feels the same? He said I’m not crazy, or not wrong, whatever he said. He feels like I belong with him. God, what is wrong with me? I’m not one of those insta-love kind of gals. I’m not. I wasn’t even like that with the man I agreed to marry. My hand goes to my neck. He bit me. No. Good grief, no. He did not bite me. But his mouth was on my neck again and I felt—I don’t know what I felt. An uneasy, unsettled feeling has me coming out of my own skin. I grab my coat. I know Eli told me to be careful at night in the city, but the doorman indicated just the opposite. In fact, the staff, in general, have assured me this is a safe area, well patrolled. Just as long as I stay in the main strip areas, I’ll be fine. And I really need air right now.
I head downstairs and decide I’ll see if the hotel car can take me to Union Station where I can enjoy Milk Box ice cream, which I’ve tried already and is marvelous. Not that I’m afraid to walk around just because Eli told me to be. I’m not. I can make my own decisions. But I’m still a woman alone at night. Of course, I don’t have much space for food in my belly after that dinner, but I’ll make it work. I need out of the room right now.
Milk Box is located inside the Crawford Hotel, as are a number of bars, restaurants, and shops. A few minutes later, I have a huge cone filled with salted Oreo ice cream, and I’m sitting in the rather rowdy lobby, which is a melting pot for everyone visiting the hotel and the establishments inside. There are clusters of wooden tables, random couches, and a bar with a walk-up booze ordering window. I’m on a cushy chair, with people I don’t know all around me. Which is fine. I don’t mind strangers and they don’t seem to mind me.
I’ve just taken a huge bite, when I hear, “Ivy?”
I rotate my chair around to find Jacob standing above me since I’m sitting and he’s not. He too is holding an ice cream cone.
“Hi,” I say. “How are you?”
“Good,” he says. “I heard about the ice cream and had to find out if it was good for myself. Are you alone?”
“I am. You?”
“I am,” he confirms, motioning to a couch that is open. “Join me?”
I have a brief memory of Eli’s reaction to Jacob and it was not good. I know I have no commitment to Eli, but this feels wrong, which of course, is silly. Jacob is just a casual acquaintance that I can’t even call a friend. And I have no interest in him.
“Sure,” I say, and the two of us settle on the couch, though I am quick to ensure we have space for another person between us.
“Where’s Eli?” he asks, wasting no time getting to that point.
“He was called to duty,” I say. “He runs a high-end security service.”